Like Vines
by FBTdreamer
Summary: All Human. Bella is haunted and weighed down with guilt. She's trying to reconcile the loss of a loved one. Edward is longing to hold Bella, be with her once more. *The story line follows The Hush Sound's album Like Vines. Each chapter each song.
1. One: We Intertwine

1. We Intertwined

**Edward**

The meadow was a bit difficult to get to. I'll give her that one. But it was where we could go, just the two of us. It wasn't _that_ far, just a trek into the woods, right outside of Forks. I'd wish she'd stop complaining.

"Edward…ouch…ugh…what the…" She breathed as she struggled to find her footing and keep up with me.

"Bella" I laughed. I stopped my strides. Our fingers were interlaced yet she still was behind me a bit. The sun was peeking in through the cracks in the trees. There were beads of sweat forming on Bella's forehead and strands of her luscious chestnut hair were falling from her ponytail. The light caught those strands and painted them golden, making a slight halo around her pale, angelic face. I bit down on my teeth to prevent a laugh from escaping as I watched her shoulders heave up and down and those red circles on her face deepen into crimson.

She let go of my hand to rest them on her hips. I took the time to adjust the picnic backpack I borrowed from my mother. "Can't we have our picnic here?" She pouted. I looked around. Sure, there was a log we could sit on and trees encased us all around. But there wasn't enough sun to keep me warm.

"Sweets, we just have a little more to go. I promise." I whispered and grabbed her right wrist and gently brought it up to my lips. Her soft skin lingered on my lips and I could taste Bella—a taste of sun-kissed wild strawberries, geranium, tangerines, and salt.

Bella surrendered by, once again, interlacing our fingers so that we were one like the vines that grew all around us, and trying to lead the way. After a few minutes, we reached the threshold of the clearing. It was magnificent. The sun illuminated the circular meadow and colorful flowers populated the grass. I lead her into the middle and spread out the blanket from my backpack.

After eating, we just lay amongst the flowers together. The sun reflected off the small beads of sweat on her delicate skin, casting miniature prisms and making her shine like diamonds. I watched her dainty hand rise and fall in time with my breathing as it lay on my chest. She planted little kisses on my chest that felt like the feathers of an angels wings brushing against me as we nuzzled together in perfect warmth.

I awoke with my lungs trying to escape through my throat and out my mouth. My nostrils were filled with the smell of too sterile and too confined, no longer with the sweet smell of sun and flowers and wild strawberries and tangerines. I was cold. Too cold.

Alone.

I was alone. My fingers struggled to grip the feather pillow I held to dearly. The pounds of blankets that weigh down on me were heavy and rough yet still I shivered.

I opened my eyes and faced the dim, curtained light that barely bothered to come into the room. So I closed my eyes. I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep; to dream. To dream where Bella and I could be together intertwined.


	2. Two: A Dark Congregation

2. A Dark Congregation

**Bella**

The snow painted everything white. I could hardly make out that the trees were supposed to be green if I hadn't already known that. And everything was still. The world was silent. No birds singing in the trees. No wind whispering. No cars zipping by.

Except from the low murmur that arose around the black whole in the earth. All around me bowed heads chanted in unison; the hot breath escaping their lips with each exhaled word after a quick inhale of the frigid air.

_"Our Father who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come…"_

Their words rising and falling like the chest of a sleeping baby; the only beats of life for yards around.

I looked around at the dark congregation gathered around me—all faces I'd seen before. There was Angela and Ben and Mike and Jessica and Lauren. Faces I'd grown up with, seen shed their baby fat and mature. Some I'd seen grow twisted with bitterness and hate. But now their faces were touched with pain and fear. They feared that the great black raven that swept over their peer could come and sweep over them too.

Then across from me was Esme, sweet Esme. She had the most angelic face that glowed with a radiance from the goodness of her heart. She looked far too young to have children yet they stood around her now, looking down at the ground. The ground was the only place it was safe to look. I could see tears stroking her soft face though she did not falter in her prayers. Rather she took in three sharp breaths before speaking.

Alice mimicked the same three-breath intake as she held onto my right arm. She was using me as a stabilizer but she caused my whole right half of my body to quiver along with her. I looked down at her now. She was a whole head shorter than me. Her onyx-mourning cap melted into her pixie black hair whose tips had gathered little flakes of snow.

I saw my father standing a little to my left. He was, naturally, in uniform. It was some how considered proper to be in uniform at these sorts of things. To keep himself warm he had on his heavy black trench coat which was a struggle for me to even lift. His head was bowed too and I could see the coffee-mug sized circle of scalp. His shoulders rose and fell in step with the majority but I doubt he was praying. He was never one for prayer. And now, I couldn't pray either. What good will it do?

For a split second, however, I thought I saw him. I thought I saw his luscious green eyes that had hints of gold whenever the sun hit them just right. And I thought I saw his perfect of a mess light chestnut hair sitting above those green eyes. I blinked and he was gone. And again there was just simply a snow-covered gravestone just a yard away from my father's left shoulder.

I didn't notice but I had been holding my breath from that second and a few remaining afterward. When I released my body faltered. The crimson rose that I feebly held in my left grasp had been compelled to the snow covered earth. It gently lay upon the soft snow as if it were merely to take a nap.

The Cullen men stood on the side farthest from me so that I could see their bent heads and Mike, Tyler, and Ben stood on the other side of the wooden box, wooden bed, wooden casket. Each of the six men grabbed hold of an end of each of the three thick straps and slowly began to lower the intricate golden laced mahogany casket into the waiting earth—impatient and hungry for it's newest member. And the priest read in a low but assured voice:

" _There is an appointed time for everything._" And I forced myself not to picture him.

"_And there is a time for every event under heaven—_

_A time to give birth and a time to die;"_ and his pale, sickly face.

"_A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted."_And the monster that lay inside of him

"_A time to kill and a time to heal;" _and how I could just be standing here; breathing.

"_A time to tear down and a time to build up" _And how he couldn't stand

"_A time to weep and a time to laugh;"_ And how I couldn't cry

"_A time to mourn and a time to dance.__"_ And how beautiful we were with just our hearts keeping time

"_A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; _

_A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing."_ And how I denied him my arms.

"_A time to search and a time to give up as lost;"_ And how he called for me.

"_A time to keep and a time to throw away." _And how in mere months I threw away years of bridges.

"_A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; _

_A time to be silent and a time to speak.__"_ And how I would be silent, even now.

"_A time to love and a time to hate;"_ And how I loved him and hated myself.

"_A time for war and a time for peace._

_What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves."_

And when the casket lay to rest six feet underneath me, the priest read _"He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end."_ Alice lurched forward in some meager attempt to salvage the unsalvageable. And all was no longer quiet but moans and cries erupted from the black hole that was the congregation. As they cried at the ultimate seal, which made this surreal snow globe real, they tossed in the crimson roses as a final salutation.

One by one they had all left. I escaped for some time. It was selfish of me really. I went and sat behind that gravestone I thought I saw him at. Her name was Bre and she was only a child when she passed. I was certain once I arrived there that he had been there. I could feel traces of his warmth. I could smell that mixture of coffee and wood and books with old, worn-out bindings. The guilt was overwhelming. How dare I long to be with the man with green and gold eyes.

It had been some time but everyone had left and the hole was covered. The snow began to fall again. We were alone. My rose I had dropped earlier was left where it lay soon to be blanketed by the snow and forever forgotten. I picked it up and shook off the flakes so that it's bright red color shown boldly.

I kneeled over the disturbed dirty and grass and gently let my rose sleep once more. I couldn't say anything; there was nothing for me to say. I simply kissed the icy ground next to the head of my flower. A kiss that pleaded "save me."


End file.
